This week we will explore the Empire of Mali and the Super Wealthy Mansa Musa. A brother that was so heavily weighed down by gold, that he "crashed" the gold market in Egypt in one visit.

Join Asha Zuri and Alex Primo this Thursday at 9 pm EST as we discuss the Great Empire of Mali that once covered an area larger than western Europe and consisted of numerous vassal kingdoms and provinces.

Because the Empire was strategically located between the West African gold mines and the agriculturally rich Niger River floodplain it was poised to become a major power in the region and beyond.

In addition to the vast wealth of the Malian Empire, education and order were also hallmarks of the day. Visitors were well aware of the organized and orderly rule of the Emperors of Mali. And surely, we are all aware of the books that came from Timbuktu. Timbuktu was a magnet that attracted both men of learning and men of commerce. Believe it or not, despite the gold, salt and other valuables to be traded in Mali, books were reported as the hottest commodity in Timbuktu.